Jac's favorite pop culture and Internet findings of the week

Thanks
to Facebook friends with good taste, my mom's stream of animal photo chain
emails and my voracious appetite for gossip and craft blogs, I'm constantly
exposed to some of the greatest items from the far-reaching corners of the internet. Here's what I just can't get enough of this week.

"Bad
Girls"

OK,
so M.I.A.'s video for "Bad Girls" came out a couple weeks ago, and
despite looping it for hours on end since then, I cannot get enough of it. It's
one of those tunes that makes me want to dance in public even without a (few)
cocktails in my system. With a penchant for controversy, the video (filmed in
Morocco) depicts what seem to be Middle Eastern women in
traditional-yet-pimped-out garb racing cars in the desert and dancing to music
with strong, sexual, pro-femme lyrics.

Though it’s been said that the political
standpoints M.I.A. makes in her music contradict her lifestyle,
or sometimes don't even make sense, the “Paper Planes” singer is the queen of juxtaposition when
it comes to her videos. It's also important to note that “Bad
Girls” comes during a time when women in Saudi Arabia are banned from driving.
So whatever her intended/implied/confusing statements may be, this video is a
pretty hot way to say “F that.”

The
mega-fest’s initial lineup was released last week, boasting headliners like Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Phish and The Beach Boys. Every year I go back and forth on my
decision to go: Can I afford the ticket plus all the cash and supplies that go
into surviving there (screw anyone who says you just need water and a sleeping
bag)? Can my poor Irish skin bear four days in the blazing sun? What if next
year’s lineup is even better? I still haven’t quite decided, but 2012’s lineup
looks good to me for less-than-obvious reasons.

Ben
Folds Five — As in, the original trio reuniting. One of my all time favorite
bands. I’d die. The
Roots — I’ve been a fan of the crew since I first heard “The Seed (2.0)” when I
was in eighth grade. And their day job as house band for Late Night with Jimmy
Fallon has only solidified my love.Ludacris
— Not ashamed.

Of
course there’s also this year’s #whoarethey Grammy winners, Bon Iver, Donald
Glover’s alter-ego Childish Gambino, The Shins, jam band supreme Umphrey’s
McGee and dozens more. Aziz Ansari (Parks
and Rec, Funny People) is even
confirmed to perform, though the rest of the comedy lineup is yet to be
announced. It turns out most people go to ‘roo for music, but I will nerdily
admit as a comedy fangirl, the stand-up tent was one of my favorite (and most
air-conditioned) experiences during my trip to the fest in 2010. Ansari also
appeared that year and Conan O’Brien, fresh off his firing from NBC, headlined.

Taxidermy
Art

A
friend on Facebook recently posted a link to Hi-Fructose Magazine’s blog, a page covered in creepy-cute
taxidermy art. Netherlands-based art partners (artners?) Les Deux Garçons
create whimsical pieces in which real taxidermied animals are embellished with
knick knacks, toys and lush decorative ribbons. If that weren’t enough, many
the animals are dual-headed conjoined mammals, or are transformed into unicorn-esque
creatures with crazy horns. These (ethically-obtained) animals are transformed
into their own art form that carefully walks the line between beautiful and
grotesque. Observe:

Arianna
Huffington

The
media queen came to town Feb. 22 to speak as a part of the SmartTalk
ConnectedConversations series, and boy, do I have a crush on her. She spoke (in
a sexy Greek accent, BTW) on becoming fearless in love, work and life,
providing many hilarious and interesting personal anecdotes along the way.
Advice she gave included getting more sleep, turning off that negative voice,
or “obnoxious roommate” in our heads and the importance of finding a “tribe” of
friends we can all relate to and depend on. Fun Fact: She launched The
Huffington Post in her fifties, thanks to help of a $100,000 loan from her
tribe-mate Laurie David (former wife of Seinfeld/Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry
David). Pretty inspirational. She ended the evening answering audience
questions with Channel 12’s Cammy Dierking, who clearly also has a bit of a
girl-crush on Huffington, and who nearly made me wet myself when she used the
phrase “That’d go over like a turd in a punch bowl.” It was truly a fun
femme-fest.

Sleigh
Bells on SNL

Despite
my undying love for Saturday Night Live, even I can’t deny the amount of
lackluster musical performances on the show. Granted, it is one of the few
“really live” shows left, details often aren’t finalized until the last minute, sound is often off and
the tiny stage isn’t ideal, but who could forget Ashlee Simpson’s
career-killing disaster on the show? This year, it’s all about hating on Indie
songstress/mannequin Lana Del Rey’s performance. Personally, I don’t think the
performance warranted such a backlash, but judge both for yourself.
And check out SNL’s hilarious response to Lana-gate (with Kristen Wigg as LDR)
here.

Thankfully,
Noise Pop duo (now touring with a third musician) Sleigh Bells killed it on last week’s episode. I wasn’t expecting
the live TV format to do them justice, but they sounded great and were
entertaining despite a nearly naked stage.

DAAP grad and former Project Runway contestant Althea Harper is in town tonight, presenting a trunk show at OTR's Sloane Boutique. Check out the designer's Spring 2012 looks featuring her signature combination of fine tailoring and delicate draping. Sloane offers 15 percent off its spring merchandise and a chance to win a $50 gift certificate. Get details here.

This weekend Cincinnati Ballet presents a production quite fitting, considering our weather – Rite of Spring. With Stravinsky's music performed live by the Cincinnati Orchestra, Rite of Spring is a “raw, grungy” piece that pits “individual against the group; it’s kind of timeless and universal,” as described by Resident Choreographer Adam Hougland. There is an 8 p.m. performance tonight and 2 and 8 p.m. performances Saturday. Go here for ticket information and performance details.

Millenicon is a literature-based sci-fi convention celebrating its 26th year in Cincinnati. This isn't your standard Trekkie symposium (though there's many programs for them!) – there's a variety of programming during the convention's run, including science fiction literature and fantasy subjects, science, space, technology, writing, art, costuming, collecting, gaming, children's programming, film and media interests. All are welcome to get their geek on at the longest-running sci-fi convention in the area. It all takes place tonight through Sunday, with programs occurring throughout the day, at the Holiday Inn Cincinnati - I-275 North in Sharonville.

Concert:nova's Food + Music Festival comes to a close Sunday with Quartetto Italiano. The festival, which featured food and music from France and Germany, wraps up with an Italian brunch at Via Vite prepared by Chef Christian Peitoso and string quartet music written by Italian composers Puccini, Verdi and Nino Rota. The event takes place at noon and is $55 ($35 for pass holders). Get tickets here.

Of course, there are endless St. Patrick's Day events also happening this weekend. Find some of them (and a fun history of
the holiday) here. You know the drill – nearly every bar and restaurant across town will
celebrate in some capacity, even if it's just green Budweiser and that damn Dropkick Murphys song on repeat.

46th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off at noon downtown. The parade famously continues through rain, snow, or, perhaps this year, unseasonably warm weather. Hopefully the impending storms will hold off anyway. The route begins at Second and up Main Street, across Fifth and down Elm Street. Find details here.

One suggestion is the Schmidlapp Event Lawn preview party running tonight through Sunday. The event lawn, located next to the Moerlein Lager House and Smale Park at The Banks, opens for the first time to the public for the holiday. Enjoy live dancers, pipers and bands, plenty of beer stands and a killer view of the riverfront. If you get hungry or crave some harder stuff (Jameson, anyone?) just hop inside the Lager House.

In addition to Cinco de Mayo and Derby Day, the next couple days bring a ton of events and activities. Saddle up, grab some tequila and get out there this weekend!

Essex
Studios blossom this weekend for the galleries’ spring Art Walk, BLOOM.
The space has been transformed with a thousand origami flowers, yarn gardens by
the Cincinnati BombShells and color-coded pathways. As always, more than 100
artists’ work will be on view as guests eat and drink their way through the
studios. The art walk runs 6-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Saturday
is Clay Alliance’s annual pottery fair at DeSales Corner. Peruse decorative and
functional pottery pieces, meet local artists and get supplies to work with
clay on your self. Hourly raffles and live music round out the day. The 12th
annual fair takes place 11 a.m.-5 p.m., rain or shine.

The first Saturday of May happens to be Cinco De Mayo this
year, but it’s also Free Comic Book Day: once a year, comic/specialty book
shops across North America offer free publications to all guests. Find a nearby
participating store here. Many store offer additional in-store events and
promotions; Up Up & Away in Cheviot welcomes The Walking Dead co-creator and original artist Tony Moore.

Crafty Supermarket
is back! Making its home at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, the spring show
brings more than 50 indie, subversive crafters from across the city and country
to sell their funky, functional handmade goods. Just in time for Mother’s Day,
shoppers will find unique apparel and accessories, home goods, artwork and more
goodies. Fuel your shopping with delicious food and coffee from local vendors
while a PROJECTMILL DJ keeps you groovin’. Show up early to nab a coveted swag
bag — every year, shoppers line up around the corner of Clifton Avenue in hopes
of being one of the first 100 who get a bag. The market is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
and admission is free.

Cinco
de Mayo is more popular in the U.S. than Mexico, but since when do we let
historical inaccuracies stand in the way of a good drinking holiday? Nearly
every bar and restaurant participates in some capacity, but we’ve selected a
few to host our annual Cantina Crawl. Here’s our schedule:

Join our roving squad of
senoritas and “Seen on the Scene” photographers as they travel from place to
place with more prizes than you can throw a maraca at.

Prom
is a rite of passage many, but often LGBTQ kids don’t feel comfortable at
school dances because of bullies and expectations about dress and dates. The Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Greater Cincinnati provides a
welcoming environment for these individuals at their annual GLSEN Prom Saturday.
Come to the Freedom Center for two events in one: those under 21 are invited to
"dress as you want, bring who you want, and love as you
want.” In a separate area of the center the over 21 crowd, who maybe didn’t
get to experience a prom of their own, can enjoy dinner, drinks and dancing for
$65. Those wanting to attend post-dinner can come after 9 p.m. for a
discounted price. As always, kids are welcome free of charge with early
registration. All proceeds support the local GLSEN chapter.

Check out Stage Door for this weekend's theater offerings, our music blog for a live show lineup and our To Do page for more events, art shows, performances and more this weekend.

And
don’t forget to check out the "supermoon"
Saturday — the biggest full moon of the year will peak around 11:30 p.m.
tomorrow.

Fashion designer Laura Dawson makes her homecoming Monday as she shows her collection in Cincinnati Fashion Week (CFW) for the second year. A graduate of The University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP), Dawson went on to New York to work for Donna Karan, style/design for Moby, The Brazilian Girls, Yelle and The Scissor Sisters and even appeared on Bravo's The Fashion Show. She founded her line of women's clothing in 2003 and has worked out of London since 2009.

Northside and OTR
get a lot of neighborhood love, but Walnut Hills is quickly becoming yet
another hot spot for local businesses, art galleries, shopping and more.
Support the Hills Friday and check out the Walk on Woodburn
from 6-9 p.m. Neusole
Glassworks will have a mobile glass-blowing truck, there will be plenty of live
music performances and caroling, Queen City Cookies will be hawking delicious
edible art and pop-up shops will be joining area businesses for all your holiday shopping needs. Read Her Magazine’s feature on the women of
Woodburn here.

This year has been
an a amazing time to live and work in Over-the-Rhine. Businesses, restaurants
and bars are opening every week, Washington Park’s revitalization has been a
success and the area is truly becoming a destination for locals and visitors
alike. On Friday, OTR will shine — and not just figuratively —with luminaries
for the third annual Light Up OTR
event. Volunteers will illuminate the streets beginning at 6 p.m., followed by
the lighting of the OTR tree at Kaze (new sushi spot opening next week at 1400
Vine St.) at 10 p.m.

Make Covington Pop
and Renaissance Covington keep the local love flowing as they present the first
annual 7th Street Makers MarketFriday and Saturday. This festival
features area artists, bakers, farmers and business owners as they show off
their handmade and homegrown goods. Purchase gifts or goodies for yourself and enjoy
free gift wrapping at Artisan’s
Enterprise Center (AEC). Come hungry on Friday — there will be a food truck
happy hour outside AEC. The fun runs 5-8 p.m. Friday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday.

Street style is rapidly
gaining attention in the fashion world. No longer is fashion defined as
couture on a runway model — everyday folks are showing off their personal
style and flair all around cities, especially Cincinnati. Rise of the Cool Kids
(#ROCK) is a celebration of individual style, art and music and it all goes
down Saturday at the Bertke Electric Warehouse in Northside. Guests will get to
be a part of Cincy’s first projected fashion show, filmed in advanced,
featuring local designers and fashionistas. It all kicks off at 7 p.m. and is
followed by an after-party at FB’s downtown (there will also be a free shuttle
going to and from each location.) Get tickets here.

On Saturday, Third
Party Gallery
presents a third installment of its monthly
experimental film program, Staring Eyes. “Yule Logs and
Certain Types of Nog” will feature eclectic holiday-themed screenings — no Miracle on 34th Street here.
The event begins at 8 p.m.

Thanks to the Contemporary Arts Center's current music video exhibition, Spectacle, a number of talented musicians, artists and directors have flocked to Cincinnati during the past two months to perform and discuss the power of music videos in our culture. Tonight, director Vincent Morisset stops by to screen Inni, his powerful black-and-white film about Icelandic Pop Rock group Sigur Rós. Morisset will then discuss his work with Sigur Rós and Arcade Fire and take questions. The event begins at 6:30 — come early to check out the Spectacle exhibit if you haven't yet. The screening and talk are free for members, $7.50 museum admission for non-members.

It's Final Friday and last year's popular monthly OTR Skate is back! Don your best hot pants and tube socks and roll over to the OTR Recreation Center for a night of old-school fun with a hip twist. Bust a move on the rink to the music of Automagik and You, You're Awesome. Admission is just $5 (skate rental included) and goes to the Rec Center to provide youth programs and scholarships for area kids. Enjoy free Vitamin Water and classic game room attractions like air hockey and foosball. Been a decade or two since you last laced up those skates? Cincinnati Rollergirls will be on hand for some pro tips. The fun begins at 8 p.m.

Northside's Building Value presents its third annual ReUse-apalooza tonight from 7-11 p.m. Learn about how the nonprofit reuses materials and what you can do to promote sustainable building practices. Music will be provided by Messerly and Ewing and there will be a silent auction featuring Building Value projects. Tickets are $20, $50 VIP. After the benefit, head over to Northside Tavern for a free after-party.

If you've checked out our cover story this week, you know about the steampunk movement that's taken flight locally. What started as a literary genre that mixes Victorian history with futuristic fantasy elements a la Jules Verne is know an underground culture with its own music, art, costuming and performance aspects. This weekend marks the first Steampunk Symposium at Tri-County's Atrium Hotel. While weekend passes are sold-out, Saturday one-day tickets will be available at the door for $20. Whether you're a diehard steampunk or just curious about the movement, this quirky event has something for everyone. Saturday's schedule includes various steampunk bands and authors, a midnight masquerade, workshops, fashion shows, a mustache parade, verbal dueling (a battle of wits) and dozens of other activities. Various events run from 10 a.m. until around 2 a.m. Read more about the culture and find a Saturday lineup here.

May is Bike Month and the Main Library downtown kicks off the cycling celebration Saturday with a bike expo. Check out various bicycle exhibits, meet organizers from groups like MoBo Bicycle Coop, Queen City Bike and League of American Bicyclists and meet Bobbi Montgomery, author of Across America by Bicycle. Get all the information you need to become a regular cyclist about town. The expo runs from 2-4 p.m. Go here for more details.

The Cincinnati Opera will perform the highly anticipated Southern-inspired George Gershwin hit Porgy and Bess in June, but you don't have to wait until summer to get in on the excitement. Saturday's Opera Gala, "A Hot Night in Charleston" will transport Duke Energy Convention Center's Grand Ballroom into the Pametto State with soul food, cocktails, music and dancing. After you've had your fill of Southern-style eats, stick around for the after-party, "Late Night in Charleston." Being a benefit for the Opera, tickets for the Gala are pretty steep ($250, $175 for first-timers); If you're on a budget, consider coming for the after-party, which runs from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. — tickets are $30 in advance, $40 at the door. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will begin being serves at 6:30 p.m.

Add a little cuteness to your weekend with the Ohio Alleycat Resource & Spay/Neuter Clinic open house Sunday. The facility has been yarn bombed by the Cincinnati BombShells to welcome new cats ready for adoption. If you're looking for a new cuddle buddy, consider adopting one of OAR's rescue kitties at the event. The free open house runs 1-4 p.m. Go here for more details, directions and more info on donations and volunteer opportunities.

I hope you got some rest last night, because you're not going to want to miss all there is to do this weekend for a little thing called "sleep."

Anyone who the first FAR-I-ROME-produced Turntables 'n' Snares last year knows how crazy amazing it was. Local bands teamed up with live DJs to create exciting, often improvised mash-ups on stage. Tonight at The Mockbee T-N-S returns with eight bands, eight DJs, Bunk News and artists to create one giant night of mixed media entertainment that blurs genres. Go here to get the full lineup.

If you dig on grub from unda da sea but hate pricey, uptight restaurants, hit up the Great Inland Seafood Festival at Newport on the Levee. Get your fill of shrimp, grabs, oysters at an affordable price - like $10.95 for a whole Maine Lobster affordable. OK, now the Little Mermaid reference seems kind of fucked up. This sealicious fest runs daily through Sunday. Get more info here.

Head over to Southgate House Saturday for the release of Shiny and the Spoon's Ferris Wheel. The Cincinnati-based Folk/Pop trio will celebrate their debut album with The Hiders, Rubber Knife Gang and Lisa Walker. Read an interview with the crew here. If you just can't wait to get your ukulele on, go here for a teaser of the album.

Most people know Cincinnati hosts a tennis tournament each summer but few know the Western & Southern Open is one of the oldest in the US still played in its original city. Starting Saturday and running through Aug. 21, fans can get up close and personal with greats like Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters. Go here for tournament info and here to read about the history of this great sporting event.

Chicken Lays an Egg's Best of Cincinnati staff pick stamp of approval says it all: Best Quirky Personality For a Vintage Resale Shop. This Northside gem offers everything from vintage men's and women's clothing, to one-of-a-kind housewares, to handmade accessories and much more. Going to a '60s Tiki Luau-themed party? You'll be able to find a full ensemble sure to get you voted best dressed, all for a killer price. It's awesome. And Saturday, the Chickens are producing their first official fashion show at one of the most beautiful venues in Cincy - Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine. In addition to some fierce fashions, there will be DJs, showcased artwork, signature cocktails by Molly Wellman, a photo booth and dance party. Oh, and it's free. Yeah, I'll see you there.

NST's back room will transform into a runway where you'll watch some local hottie patotties strut their stuff with hair designs by Northside Chop Shop. Kenneth Wright will DJ the show and ongoing dance party.

Spot someone with the best moves you've ever seen? Send them a message via the valentine post office, and pose for pictures in a fabulous Flashbox photo booth. It all starts at 9 p.m., with the fashion show at 10 p.m.

Afterward, party with Bad Veins, who perform at 11 p.m. The duo's album The Mess We've Made drops April 24.

Get a peek at Chicken's fashion in Bad Veins' new video for "Dancing on TV." Some of the ensembles in the Soul Train-esque shots were provided by the boutique!

You know when you’re at the store and they’ve run out of your size in a shirt you really, really wanted? And you look at the one hanging on the mannequin hoping and praying it’s a medium so you can derobe her and leave with that peplum top?

We all know that’s a lost cause, because she’s always, without fail, wearing a damn extra small, because anything larger would engulf the porcelain, size 2 life-size Barbie, which would make the clothes terrible and nobody would want to buy them.

One department store in Sweden — surprisingly, the stereotypical exporters of blonde, Scandinavian ice queens —has finally launched a "f&*# you" campaign against the mannequin industry standard, which apparently values female mannequins that are often designed to be six inches taller and six inches smaller than the average woman, according to the Chicago Tribune. Basically, clothes made only for this Ukrainian woman, who went through an insane amount of plastic surgery to become the first "real-life Barbie" (click on her photo to read more):

The store only has two of thenormal mannequins right now, who are sporting some classy lingerie. Photos of the mannequins have gone viral, and to absolutely nobody's surprise, women across the world have become pretty smitten with the concept of seeing models in clothes that don't look radically different from themselves.

It's actually pretty genius, from a marketing standpoint: Aside from making a super-powerful social statement, it seems likely their sales will probably skyrocket — how many times, after all, have you seen something looking fabulous on a mannequin and tried it on yourself, only to look in the mirror with horror and disgust?

Let's compare. On the left, two Victoria's Secret mannequins. On the right, the lady from the Swedish department store.